Memorable Recipes: To Share with Family and Friends [Hardcover]

Renee Behnke (Author), Cynthia Nims (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 2009

This exciting collection of delicious recipes, ingredients, tools, and preparations is inspired by the memorable gatherings hosted and celebrated by Renee Behnke.

Behnke is the president emeritus of the culinary mecca Sur La Table, and she brings a bounty of tastes from around the world to her new work. The 140 unique recipes Behnke has created from her home and discovered in her worldly travels, will keep family and friends connected. By sharing Behnke's experiences of many different cuisines and how they translate back to the American table, Memorable Recipes makes everyone feel at ease and happy to share time in the kitchen.

Cooks will enjoy the 125 full-color photographs of appetizers, soups and salads, sides, main dishes, and desserts, and will also appreciate the wine pairing notes.

No matter where you are in the world, it is always a good time to share fabulous food with family and friends.

There is always a place at the Behnkes' table.

* There is something here for everyone. This book appeals to a broad spectrum of home cooks. The offering of a unique variety of diverse recipes takes the reader around the world and always includes those recipes from our own family collections.

* This book empowers home entertainers by taking the intimidation out of hosting and preparing for a gathering or party. Quite simply, Behnke helps put the "party" back in dinner party, and she does it with style and taste.

* Along with the 140 recipe gems, this work also includes striking and inviting four-color photography, menu plans, do-ahead tips, decor ideas, and shortcuts every home chef can appreciate.

* When it comes to cooking, Behnke is the go-to expert. She is influential in the cooking world and she's built Sur La Table into a thriving and robust brand among cooking enthusiasts nationwide.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Reading Memorable Recipes is like raiding the files of the best cook you know. The book is packed with party-friendly bites. Tested tried and true recipes set you up for entertaining success. And in the back of the book, Renee arms you with the the tools for great party planning: menu planning ideas, checklists, and copious wish-someone-would-have-told-me-that tips. --Seattle Tall Poppy, June 8, 2009

Review

In Memorable Recipes to Share with Family and Friends, (Renee) Behnke shows how to throw a dinner party, with advice, tips, menus and recipes to do just that. She offers everything from appetizers to desserts and theme meal ideas such as an Evening in Spain, Celebrate Italy, Dining Alfresco and a Mardi Gras Feast. Some of the recipes have an ethnic touch such as Pakistani Vegetable Samosas, Moroccan-style Biscotti and Lemon Israeli Couscous. The hardcover cookbook is easy to navigate with color codes for the chapters, do-ahead tips and menu ideas for each recipe and plenty of color photographs scattered throughout.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (May 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740773933
• ISBN-13: 978-0740773938
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,393,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A night of Memorable Recipes..., June 11, 2009

By 

Hawkeyes (Lawrence, KS, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memorable Recipes: To Share with Family and Friends (Hardcover)

Having spent many happy hours shopping in Sur la Table over the years, Renee Behnke's credentials intrigued me into selecting this book. After reading "Memorable Recipes," I took her subtitle "to share with family and friends" to heart. I invited 2 of my closest friends to "cook" through some of the recipes! We started with Prosciutto Pinwheels, Pickled Shrimp with Capers and the Radish and Fennel Salad (it's spring and the radishes at our Farmer's market look like exquisite Easter eggs!) The pinwheels were the hands down winners. The recipe makes quite a lot which is perfect for a cocktail party but one of the other perks Renee gives the cook in each recipe is instruction to make each dish ahead. We didn't need all the pinwheels for our dinner party but the second half baked up perfectly the following night for a family hors d'oervres Sunday supper! We then prepared the Salmon with Wild Mushroom Sauce and again thanks to our savvy author opted for the Orzo with Sugar Snap Peas. Renee gives menu options based on seasonability of the ingredients! Our fall choices were Tiny Potatoes with Hot Bacon Dressing or Roasted Pepper and Corn Spoon Bread. My favorite farmer had sweet and crisp peas and my girlfriend declared the orzo her favorite dish of the entire evening! That is saying something when you read about dessert! We included our whole families for this meal and no one can go wrong with chocolate so the Sunken Chocolate Cupcakes were served warm from the oven with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. The three of us had a "summit meeting" over coffee and cocktails and all agreed this is a cookbook worth having in anyone's kitchen! We were able to either prepare all or a large portion of each recipe in advance, taking the stress and last minute worries out of entertaining and were grateful for the menu options! The recipes were delicious and based on fresh, healthy and seasonal ingredients. It was a wonderfully fun and memorable evening spent with our family and friends and I know the Prosciutto Pinwheels will be a memorable recipe that my daughters will request in the future! Renee Behnke lives up to her promise that this book is indeed full of "Memorable Recipes to Share with Family and Friends!"

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Memorable Recipes for Memorable Parties or Meals, May 19, 2009

By 

Victoria Eiland "KnitWit" (Albany, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Memorable Recipes: To Share with Family and Friends (Hardcover)

I love cookbooks. I'm in the process of collecting more, so receiving Memorable Recipes was a very pleasant surprise. Even better, the book shows the evidence of an author who loves food and a food stylist who knows how to present it well (seriously, some of the pictures had a very artistic quality to them). The recipes are all items that could be easily prepared at home with a little planning and forethought. The authors have included a "how to" section in the back that includes directions for several techniques used in the various recipes in the event that the user is not familiar with the process.

Renee Behnke is the President Emeritus of Sur la Table. In her career she has had the pleasure of dining at some of the world's best restaurant and chatting with the best chefs. She has also had the joy of working for Sur la Table, a Seattle institution. Sur la Table is known for their quality ingredients and, more importantly, for the cooking classes that they offer within the store. This experience gives Ms. Behnke a unique vantage point to write a cookbook about how to cook lovely meals for family and friends.

One of the things I like about this cookbook is the fact that it contains items that are a little fancier than what most people bang out every night, but it's still accessible. There's a feeling that the authors wanted to give the reader thumbing through something to aspire to. This is a cookbook that can be used when throwing a dinner party and when making a nice weekday/weekend meal.

As an eager home chef, I'm looking forward to putting some of these recipes to the test, but with the Sur la Table name backing it, I'm expecting success. If you are looking to give this as a gift, it would make a nice housewarming or wedding gift.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best, May 18, 2010

By 

Laurel Coleman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Memorable Recipes: To Share with Family and Friends (Hardcover)

Intelligent and thoughtful menus, fresh food in season, fabulous pictures and very nice commentary by Renee'. This cookbook will make you look smart.